-PASTA FROLLA-
2 c Unbleached flour 3 ea Egg yolks
1/2 c Plus 1 T sugar 1 ea Whole egg
7 tb Unsalted soft butter 1 tb Grated lemon or orange rind
3 tb Vegetable shortening – 1/4 tsp cinnamon
FILLING
1/2 c Long-grain rice 1 tb Candied citron
2 ea Square baking chocolate 1 ea Lemon rind, grated
1 lb Ricotta 1/4 c Rum -or-
1 1/2 c Sugar 1 ts Vanilla
3 md Egg yolks at room temp 2 ea Egg whites at room temp
Pasta Frolla: Sift the flour and make it into a mound on your
counter or pastry board. Add the sugar and turn the mound into a
crater. Add the soft butter and the shortening in small dabs.
Lightly beat the egg yolks and the whole egg and add them to the
center of the crater. Start beating the egg more thoroughly with a
fork, around and around the center, picking up flour, butter, and
shortening as you beat. Continue until the flour, shortening, butter
and egg are all well mixed. Add the grated rind, put aside the fork,
and work with your hands until everything begins to stick together
and form a buttery, soft dough. It is very like cookie dough and
should not be handled excessively. Shape it into a ball, wrap it in
plastic wrap, and chill it for at least a half an hour. Filling: Cook
the rice, rinse it with cold water in a colander, and set it aside to
cool. Melt the chocolate in a small double boiler and cool. Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees Put the ricotta in a large bowl and beat it
with an eggbeater until smooth. Add 1 c of the sugar and stir in the
egg yolks, one by one, mixing after each addition until well blended.
Add the citron, cinnamon, lemon rind, chocolate, and run (or
vanilla). In a separate bowl, whip the 2 egg whites with the last of
the sugar until stiff and fold them into the egg-ricotta mixture.
Lastly, fold in the cooked rice. Break off about 2/3 piece of the
pasta frolla, roll it into a round, and place it in the bottom of a
buttered 10- or 12- inch ckae or spring-form pan. Spread it out
carefully along the bottom of the pan, pushing with your fingers, and
up the sides about 1 1/2 inches. Pour in the beaten ricotta mixture.
Flour the counter, roll out the remaining dough until it is about 1/2
inch thick, cut into 1/2-inch strips with a pastry cutter or knife,
and place them lattice fashion on top of the pastiera. Brush with a
bit of slightly beaten egg white (one left over from the pasta
frolla). Bake one hour, or until the lattice of the pasta frolla is
nicely toasted and cooked through. Coll before serving. From _The
Romagnolis’ Table_; Margaret & G. Franco Romagnoli; Little, Brown and
Company Pub. Makes 6 servings
Yields
6 servings